


Ablaze

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [187]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-10 17:18:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19510435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: With SG-1 seeming to want to take it in turns as to which one of them is going to perish next on whatever planet they visit, General O’Neill decides that they all need a break and invites the team – Daniel, Teal’c, and Ferretti – as well as George Hammond to his house for a barbecue on Saturday afternoon. He passes along a message to Fraiser and is just about to go and track down Catherine when she appears in the doorway to his office.





	Ablaze

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘Barbecue Day’ (4 July). Set during early season 1 – alternate reality.
> 
> This was meant to be just a few hundred words… and then it escalated, so it’s more like a selection of snapshots of the day that takes place.

With SG-1 seeming to want to take it in turns as to which of them is going to perish next on whatever planet they visit, General O’Neill decides that they all need a break and invites the team – Daniel, Teal’c, and Ferretti – as well as George Hammond to his house for a barbecue on Saturday afternoon. He passes along a message to Fraiser and is just about to go and track down Catherine when she appears in the doorway.

“Jack, I have those files you wanted.”

He shoots her a disbelieving look and she smiles. “Okay, I have the files you _need_ – the ones you have to send to the President?”

His expression doesn’t change as she enters the office unperturbed, taking up residence on one of the comfy leather chairs at the other side of his desk.

“Speak to George,” he answers lightly, throwing his pen down. He leans back in his chair and holds her gaze as she studies him. “What’s on your mind, Catherine?”

“Nothing.”

He grins knowingly and waves a finger in her direction. “Try again.”

This time she sighs and Jack isn’t sure if it’s a good or bad thing.

“Do you ever leave this mountain, Jack?”

“Sure I do.”

“I mean other than to go home and sleep. I know you’re in charge around here, but…”

He raises a brow. “But?”

“It might be good for you to get out there a bit more.”

“Catherine, as much as I love you –”

“Not with me, Jack! _Honestly!_ ”

He laughs and hopes it is enough to appease her, but it’s Catherine and it’s not, and he’s suddenly reminded of what his grandfather used to tell him.

_There’s something about a woman with a loud mind that sits in silence, smiling, knowing she can crush you with the truth._

He doesn’t want to think about what it means for him right now as Catherine smiles knowingly at him, but he finds himself speaking before he realizes.

“I’m having a barbecue on Saturday. Just a few people, nothing fancy,” he confesses, and hopes it’s enough to save him from ‘getting out more’ for a while longer. “You’re naturally invited – and expected to attend,” he adds with a smile.

He’s being studied again and he tries not to shift in his chair.

“Can I bring anything?”

“You still make those delicious apple pies?”

A smile is his answer and he resists the urge to punch the air in delight but then the phone rings, cutting short their conversation and Catherine gets up to leave. She reaches the door when Jack holds a hand over the receiver.

“Extend the invite to your good doctor,” he says. “Something tells me Carter doesn’t get out much either.”

* * *

They are only a few days into July but already the day of the barbecue turns out to be the hottest of the year, so Sam decides – against her better judgment – to wear a light summer dress and sandals as opposed to jeans. She wears pant suits to work most days but only because it’s more practical, not because she actually wants to, and the dress she picks out is more fitted that the others she owns, but she likes how it makes her feel and she figures that as she’s going to a supposed casual get-together at her boss’s house, she’s going to need all the confidence she can get.

She still thinks Catherine is wrong and the invite is a mistake; that she’s only been asked to attend out of pity. So, she waits for the phone to ring and a reason to surface as to why she shouldn’t go, but none is forthcoming and an hour later she finds herself reluctantly trailing behind Catherine as she knocks on the General’s front door.

He’s relaxed when he finally greets them and it takes Sam a couple of seconds to recognize him out of his uniform. Catherine mutters something intelligible that makes him grin and he takes the pies from her hands.

“Glad you could make it, Doc,” he says, turning his attention to Sam and giving her a quick onceover. Their position in the doorway is cosy to say the least and he’s looking down at her with an unreadable expression and his voice is husky when he adds, “You look nice.”

She smiles at the simple compliment but says nothing as her stomach does a funny little flip and she no longer trusts her own voice.

As she makes her way through his home however, she muses that it’s actually quite nice and whilst it isn’t exactly what she was expecting – even though she doesn’t know what she was expecting – it suits him. It’s definitely a man’s home, but it just screams ‘The General’ and she finds herself relaxing ever-so-slightly. So, she accepts a glass of wine and follows Catherine into the back yard where she’s quickly pulled into a hug by George. She sees the General frown at the interaction and for the first time she wonders if Jack realizes that she knew George prior to her appointment at the SGA. Minutes later, Ferretti joins the conversation, and the General shoos them off the deck and towards the chairs positioned in the middle of the yard. The distance between them is now almost enough for Sam to forget that Jack keeps stealing glances at her.

She’s happy to just sit and listen to the conversations taking place around her, answering or speaking when it’s appropriate, but then Ferretti announces it’s his turn to take the drinks order. He takes their requests and Sam watches him leave, only to see him take a detour and join the General and an animated-looking Daniel on the deck. She isn’t able to make out what is being said but when the General suddenly meets her gaze through the haze of barbecue smoke and Daniel takes a step back, his hands splayed out in front in a placating gesture, she shifts uncomfortably in her chair. Ferretti looks like he is trying not to laugh, but his smile soon disappears when Jack pushes the barbecue tongs against his chest and points at the meat on the grill. Feeling a little uneasy, Sam diverts her attention back to the conversation Janet and Catherine are now having to her right, but then a body flops into the empty chair beside her and she jumps.

“Nerves bad, Doc?”

“Not usually.”

“So, apparently I’m a bad host because I haven’t spoken to you in the twenty minutes since you’ve arrived.”

His words are light, but there’s a slight edge to them that makes her frown.

“Didn’t you greet me at the door?”

He casts her a sideways glance and shrugs. “Social etiquette dictates I’m supposed to do more than that.”

“You sound like Daniel.”

He snorts into his beer and they fall into a companionable silence.

“Speaking of Daniel,” Sam adds. “He seems… excitable.”

She notices the way he tenses slightly at her words but all he offers is a non-committal grunt.

“If he sent you over here to keep me company, I’m fine.”

“Yes, you are,” he murmurs, then realizes what he’s said and how it must sound as he quickly tries to mask his surprise and drains the rest of his beer. “Do you want another drink?”

He lets the bottle hang loosely between his fingers and Sam’s mouth suddenly goes dry. Another drink sounds _really_ nice, but she declines any alcohol. She hasn’t had anything to eat since breakfast and doesn’t want to make a fool of herself, so she finds herself asking for a diet soda instead – and quickly feels her face grow hot at his disbelieving look.

_“Diet soda?”_

“I like the taste better,” she argues defensively to his back as he strolls towards the house. Inadvertently, she finds her gaze lowering before she realizes what she’s doing and hopes that no-one else saw her.

_“Doc!”_

Everyone turns to look at the General but he appears unflappable as he gestures for her to join him in the kitchen. On legs steadier than she feels, she steps onto the deck, and tries to ignore the way she can feel Daniel’s eyes on her, or the way Ferretti knocks her elbow as she passes.

“For some reason, Doc,” Jack says as soon as she steps inside, “I actually do have diet soda. Do you want a glass?”

“Please,” she smiles, then takes a deep breath, “and it’s Sam.”

“Hm?”

“You can call me Sam – rather than ‘Doc’, you know.”

“Did you know you can call me Jack?”

“I – uh –”

“It’s not that hard,” he grins. “It’s my name.”

She rolls her eyes, but can’t help the smile that tugs at the corner of her lips. “Fine… _Jack._ ”

His name sounds strange on her lips but she thinks it’s an issue she could quickly get over. “Thank you for the drink.”

“Don’t mention it,” he says, giving her another onceover. “You hungry?”

* * *

The rest of the afternoon goes surprisingly well in Sam’s eyes and she finally has the opportunity to have a proper conversation with Teal’c. Even though she thought he had an intimidating presence, she’s discovered that she really enjoys his company and feels safe when he’s nearby. He doesn’t necessarily say much, but when he does it’s worth listening to. She asks him questions about Chulak and the Goa’uld, while he asks her about some of Earth’s more unique cultural references and idioms. Yet her highlight has to be the look on the Jaffa’s face when the food is finally ready and Jack places a tray of sausages on the table and proudly says, “’dogs are up”.

* * *

Sam and Catherine were the last to arrive to the barbecue, but they are also the first to leave, with the latter admitting she is starting to tire. The others also get to their feet and take turns to hug them both goodbye, adding that they’ll see them in work on Monday.

Jack walks them to the front door and hugs Catherine warmly before she retreats to the car. He hesitates slightly before wrapping an arm around Sam’s shoulders, but she only gets as far as a hand on his waist before he pulls back and thrusts his hands into his pockets. It’s more than a little awkward and she knows that she should go but there’s something that’s been bothering her all afternoon.

“Why me?”

He raises his eyebrows in surprise and she blushes, but she clarifies her question and when she asks why no-one else from her department – or any other head of department – appears to have been invited today, he gives a lazy shrug and quietly says, “I like you.”

She feels stupid as tears prick at the corners of her eyes, but she’s overwhelmed by his sincerity, and for the first time since her appointment to the SGA, she feels like part of the family, as opposed to just being their resident egghead.

“Thank you,” she finally whispers and turns to leave.

She knows Jack is watching her as she gets into the car, but she doesn’t mind, because she thinks she might just like him too.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope my American followers had an enjoyable 4th July!


End file.
